Go Small/Shifty/Speedy Blue?

For year (sorry, decades) Michigan football has been defined by "3 yards and a cloud of dust".  Yost played by it.  Bo played by it. And Lloyd Carr played by it. 

Michigan football didn't win by style points.  Everybody knew Michigan's offensive playbook.....run off the right tackle.  Run off the left tackle.  If you get daring, short pass to a big bodied possession receiver.

With Lloyd Carr's retirement, and the hiring of offensive whiz kid Rich Rodriguez signaled a rapid departure.  In one fell swoop, Michigan lost its entire offensive starting unit from last year. 

Out
Gone are the 6'6 inch QBs with the cannon arms.  Gone are the massive 300+ lb offensive lineman.  And gone is the little bulldozer at Running Back (Mike Hart), who fought hard for every yard that he churned out.

In

- former UFC fighter Mike Brawis' ridiculously effective and efficient training routine.  Resulting in six-packs on the OL.  
- 2 way battle for QB between a redshirt freshman transfer (from Georgia Tech) and a former walk-on.
- running back by committee approach including 2 shifty and ridiculously fast true freshman
- 7 different people expected to get the ball from the wide out spot.  Almost all of them will see time at the slot.

So, Michigan was traditionally known as Big Blue.  Since we are no longer Big....does this mean that we're Shifty Blue?  Or, Small Blue (small, as in the new coaching staffs obsession with tiny players)?

My favorite is Speedy Blue.  Will it catch on?

Insurance Companies believe in Michael Phelps....do you?

By now, everybody has heard the story of Michael Phelps, and how he's on pace to win an unprecedented 8 Olympic gold medals this year.  He's the main event at the Olympics, the golden-boy.  So I'm not going to rehash how incredible he's been (and yes, that is exactly what he is, incredible).

As I drove to work, Mike & Mike were discussing Phelps, and I learned something new.  Speedo, his primary sponsor and maker of his swimsuit, has a deal where if Phelps wins 7+ golds this year, he will earn an additional $1 million in bonus money.  But this isn't the first time that he's had this deal.

In the 2004 Athens Games, Speedo had the same deal with Phelps.  You win 7 golds, you take home a cool million.  That year, Speedo insured this deal, so that if Phelps won, Speedo would only have to pay $300k of the prize, leaving the remainder to the insurance company.  Of course, he went on to win 6 Gold medals, and didn't win the prize.

Fast forward to this year.  Speedo largely left the deal the same,  win 7, go home rich.  They shopped the deal around...and one-by-on....GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, Loyd's of London, etc.....all passed!  Now Speedo is on the hook for the entire $1 in the event that he shatters all 8 events.

so, if the bean counters and actuaries at the world's largest insurance companies believe in him....do you?

I heart Hart

Found via a message board on thewolverine.com

Little Mikey Hart, the leading rusher in Michigan football history, is the little engine that just keeps rumbling to success.  He did it in high school, he did it in college, and now, he's starting to do it in the NFL.

link

I loved him as a Wolverine because he never gave up on a play, always took and gave a beating, and just flat out gamed.  Ultra reliable (until the Citrus Bowl), he talked a huge game, but backed it up on the playing field.....Since taking the reins as #1 RB as a true freshman, he was the heart and soul of the program.....


Glad to see him doing great things for Tony Dunge in Indy.....
. 

Indians at the Olympics

Lost in all the Michael Phelps / Lebron James / Kobe Bryant hubub is that the fact that 2 Indians have won medals already at this year's Olympics....

The first was Indian national Abhinav Bindra, who won the Gold medal in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Shooting competition.  Considering that I've never shot a gun, and almost all the Indians I know haven't shot one, I don't really think of Indians as proficient marksmen, but I'm working with a small sample.  Maybe Bindra is a sign of the changing times in India, where young desis are growing up dreaming of winning Olympic glory in the Air Rifle.

The other was Indian American Raj Bhavsar, who won the Brozne as part of the American gynmanastics team.  According to ESPN, he replaced Paul Hamm at the last minute, and helped the team take a surprising Brozne in the artistic competition.

Congrats Raj and Abhivav!

Yankee Stadium lovefest = gag

Watching the home run derby, and had some thoughts about the Yankee Stadium Lovefest:

1) The stadium isn't closing today.....there's still a half year left.....

2) really, Arod's 500th homerun is the best homerun at Yankee Stadium?  I'm not a Yankee fan, but I'd think that they could find a much more fitting end to their "Homeruns at Yankee Stadium montage".  Maybe Reggie Jackson...Roger Maris...or, to stick it to Red Sox fans, Aaron F'n Boone?

3) yes, people do visit other stadiums to tour the place.  I did it as a kid in Minneapolis (at the Metrodome)....and I know that people have done so in Boston (at Fenway) before too......get your shit together ESPN

Granted, as the standings are today, the Yankees aren't going to be playing in the postseason this year....so, I guess the All Star game is the last major event there.....carry on ESPN

Farve at the Dome? Playing FOR the Vikes?

Rumors on the net are flying that everybody's favorite (well, everybody that lives in Wisconsin) aging quarterback is thinking about coming back to the NFL.

While I'm not surprised that he'd come back, I'm surprised that the Green Bay Packers aren't more suppportive.  This guy was your franchise for the last decade, he brought 2 Super Bowl titles there, and he's a living legend.

Yes, he's a legend, and it pains me to say that as a lifelong Viking fan.  So, with Farve in check, the Vikings might be more than a decent team next year.....think about it...

Brett Farve as QB.  Adrian Peterson.  we still have some receivers, they just haven't caught a pass in a long time.....our D line will be dominant....the pieces are there....

So yes, if Farve returns, I'd put aside the pain that he's caused my team, and welcome him to the Metrodome.....for that the happen, Green Bay would have to be dumb to pin their hopes on Aaron Rogers and give him up to a division rival.

the question - Is Green Bay dumb enough to allow Farve to suit up for the Vikings?

How will Kevin McHale mess up the draft?

Growing up as a Timberwolves fan in Minnesota, I grew accustomed to watching the Twolves through away their lottery picks.

Here's a rundown of the franchise lottery history:

1989 - Pooh Richardson
1990 - Felton Spensor
1991 - Luc Longley
1992 - Christian Laettner
1993 - Isaiah "J.R" Rider
1994 - Donyell Marshall
1995 - Kevin Garnett
1996 - Ray Allen (traded to Milwaukee for Stephen Marbury on draft day)
1999 - Wally Szczcerbiak
2005 - Rashad McCants
2006 - Brandon Roy
2007 - Corey Brewer

So, ignoring the 1 great pick (KG), what else has the franchise done on draft day? We could have paired up KG with one of the greatest pure shooters of all time (Ray Allen), but instead, traded him for the ultimate headache (Marbury). Also, keep in mind the great Joe Smith debacle. Signing an illegal deal for the career journeyman, which stripped the Twolves of 5 draft picks...most likely 5 lottery choices.

With reports that the Miami Heat are high on OJ Mayo, and not that high on Michael Beasley, Kevin McHale should be working on a draft day deal to grab Mayo, send him to Miami for Beasley.

Instead, here's what I think he'll do:

1) Draft and keep Mayo - you don't want a guy like OJ Mayo in Minneapolis. He'll leave in 3 years.

2) Draft an unknown foreign player, and then keep him in his home country for a few years.

3) Grab a soft inside defender like Brooke Lopez - great guy, total goofball....but not tough inside. the wolves need an inside presence

4) overspending on a Kevin Love / Joe Alexander. Both are great players...both should be in a Minnesota uniform....but both are not worth the #3 pick.

Can Kevin McHale find a way to leverage his #3 pick into soemthing worthwhile....or, will we be watching the pingpong balls during the next playoffs?

Go Turks! (and no, I'm not talking about Chris Turk)

so with today's futbol match between the heavily favored Germans and the injured/crippled/suspended Turks, I felt that it was a good time to post a movie review for the German/Turkish movie Auf der anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven).



The movie tells a story in an intense, non-linear fashion....very much like Pulp Fiction or Memento. Its about the search for a Turkish girl. Her mother was a prostitute in Germany, but was murdered by a Turkish national in Germany. The national's son feels the need to compensate the girl, so he voyages to Istanbul to find her....

While that brief synopsis doesn't do the movie justice, its the best that I can do without giving away too much of the plot. Beyond the actual story itself, the timing, pacing, and imagery presented by Fatih Akin (the director) is incredible.

Interweaving scenes from Istanbul, Berlin, and Bonn.....from Turkish, to English, to German....he manages to captivate the viewer into caring about this girl and her dead prostitute mother....

If you are in the mood for a good "thinking" movie, don't mind reading the dialogue (no dubbing....read the subtitles people!), and have a few hours to spare...check it out.....

you'll walk away from it, better for having seen it.....its that good.

Still using AOL?

I'm a huge college football junkie...so when there's an article on espn.com about college football, I'll read it.

The article was Pat Forde's thoughts on the upcoming season...and was a pretty standard article, nothing too shocking in it.

until I got to the end....


Really Forde? Aol.com ? I haven't received an AOL cd in a long time.....so I figured that they stopped operating.....

can somebody send this guy a gmail invite?

Which Cubs Games to Attend?

So, I travel during the week....and I'm taking a Saturday morning class...so I'm really limited in the games that I go to....

Looking at the list, this what I might be able to attend:

July 13 - San Francisco Giants
July 27 - Florida Marlins
August 24 - Washington Senators - sorry..nationals
August 31 - Philadelphia Phillies
September 21 - St. Louis Cardinals

So...which game or games should I go to? And..which games will you join me at????

The ultimate coach's dilemma...

I'm not a huge soccer fan, but I've definitely caught the Euro Cup 2008 bug. I'm sitting here at work, following (not watching streaming vid..couldn't find it...but constantly refreshing a tracker) the Italy/France and Netherlands/Romania matches....and a thought hit me.

Netherlands has already advanced to the next round of the tourney, beating Romania today will not help their stock or seed in any way. However, if Romania beats the Netherlands, Romania will advance to the next round with the Netherlands. If Romania and the Netherlands both advance, then perennial powers France and reigning World Cup Champion Italy are heading home.

If you were a coach, assuming that the game's outcome didn't affect your future prospects, would you take a dive to ensure that a powerhouse did not advance?

Inflamed passions at the Euro Cup

In yesterday's Euro Cup action, Poland was leading Austria 1-0 late in the match....when the ref called a penalty kick in the 90th (read - last minute) of the match.

Austrian Ivica Vastic nailed the penalty kick, tying the match, and keeping the Austrians in the tournament.

Afterwards, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed that he wanted to kill the English ref....he has since backtracked on those words...but could you imagine an elder U.S. statesman making comments like that after a college football game?

link

Fubol Passion....

I'm watching Fox Soccer Channel...and watching some Argentinian futbol championship league, and some team named River Plate beat Olimpo BB for their league championship.

While the match was interesting, I was more into crowd watching. The place was insane!
The announcer claimed that the scene was bedlam, and I don't disagree at all....random fights, chants, streamers, and even fireworks being launched from the stands....madness

this match got me thinking. Latin America and Europe have soccer, Africa and Asia have cricket, and Canadians have hockey...what do normal Americans have?

The usual suspects are American style football or baseball. While they are both worthy, neither seems to inflame the passions of humans as much as soccer does. The closest that we may have is college football, which while being awesome, its decidedly tame compared to the soccer spectacle. With a straight face, can you say that the bedlam at a Michigan / Ohio State game....or a Texas / Oklahoma game will come anywhere near to any of the matches between Arsenal and Chelsea?

Spurs vs Lakers - Game 4

Disclaimer: I am a Spurs fan and my comments below may reflect this opinion.

I wanted to quickly write up on the Spurs/Lakers Game4 that I just got done watching. Overall, it was a good game. However, I thought that the last shot of the game that Derek Fisher most definitely committed a foul on Brent Barry. From the replays, it was obvious there was a lot of contact and should have been called a foul. In my opinion, the "no-call" that the officials decided to do was a bad decision. Obviously, this is a big game for both teams and a must win game for the Spurs. With this in mind, the officials need to be on top of calling fouls even when the clock is winding down. The series is now 3-1 in the Lakers favor...I'm not sure if the Spurs can win this series or not. I know many in the NBA front office are dying for a Lakers vs Celtics final. I don't want to be too much of a conspiracy theorist here but this should have been called a foul!

What's your take on Game 4 and the final shot? Bad call? or Good "no-call" by the officials?

100 days til the football season kicks off!

Just 100 days until Wolverine nation's anxiety, nervousness, and optimism is put to the test...Rich Rodriquez will finally take the field as the next coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

While there are many lingering questions remain (quarterback? offensive line? do we even have a scholarship QB on the roster?), I'm still very excited.

RR has been saying the right things, not screwing up too much, and has brought back some excitement to the program....

I'm excited...and I'm ready for the team to take the field against Utah (on August 30)....

who's with me!

What's wrong with Stuart Scott's eyebrows?

Too much botox on his forehead?

I was watching the Pistons / Celtics game, and during halftime, he was really creeping me out in HD.

His eyebrows were an odd mixture of white, brown, and black hair, and he looked very botoxed up.....

i clearly have too much time on my hands....


[edit] just did some googling, and learned that he has been undergoing chemotherapy....my bad, my bad [/edit]

Minnesota Timberwolves....what could have been?

Look at the impact that the 2002-2005 Timberwolves roster has had on this year's Eastern Conference playoffs...

Flip Saunders - Piston Coach
Kevin Garnett - Boston Forward
Chancey Billips - Detroit PG
Sam Cassell - Boston PG
Wally Szerbiack - Cleveland Guard
Joe Smith - Cleveland Forward
Eddie House - Boston Forward

Good thing Kevin McCale still has a job....I mean, that's a fantastic lineup...and nothing?

Orlando Turdburgers?

taken from wiki, which has sense been cleansed. lesson learned - don't mess with wiki.

edit - got the original link from Amish, but he wasn't handy with the steal....

Great Sports Story

http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/story/8091708
I am a sucker for good sports stories, and this is one of the best I have seen all year. Don't hold back the tears. Let them flow.

Wrigley Field - 4/4/2008

First Trip to Wrigley this year.....the old school sign just warms my heart

 >

Which is a good thing..because it was freezing outside. since its April, even Wrigley's famous green ivy was actually brown...

 


The Cubs just flat out stink this year. It seems like they continuously put themselves in a position to win, only to piss it away.

But, we managed to enjoy our beers, and our bleacher seats....


 

After the game, we headed to Uberstein's..on Clark..this place has huge beers and shotskis:


 

 
Overall...a fun day to play hookey from work...watch the Cubbies, and hang out with friends....